Chapter Five: Ryoko, Kurenai, and Ao

The people of the castle town were busy preparing for the harvest festival that would be held in a few days. Herscherik walked down the bustling main thoroughfare dressed in his usual green and blue poncho with golden embroidery. As he walked and occasionally waved to the people around him, he looked up at the sky.

“The weather is great today... I hope it’ll be just as sunny during the festival.”

Up above was a clear, blue fall sky. It would be awful if it were to rain during the festival, Herscherik thought; that would ruin the day for the townspeople.

“I don’t think you need to worry about that.”

It was Kurenai who spoke, showing Herscherik a gentle smile. Her crimson hair, reminiscent of autumn leaves, was loosely tied back. Ten days had passed since Herscherik had invited her to stay in the castle, and she looked much healthier than when they first met.

Herscherik returned Kurenai’s confident sounding statement with a confused glance.

“Festivals are generally planned with the weather of past years in mind. Of course, we can’t know for sure,” Kurenai explained.

“You sure know a lot, Kurenai,” Herscherik said, impressed. His mood was light as he walked along.

Kurenai followed behind the prince with a smile, though still with a hint of bewilderment on her face.

“Thank you for the compliment. But...are you sure about this, Your Highness?”

“Huh?” Herscherik glanced back at Kurenai behind him.

“Well, should you really be going out alone like this?”

“I’m not alone. You’re here, aren’t you?” Herscherik replied matter-of-factly.

Kurenai tried to explain that that wasn’t what she meant, but seeing Herscherik’s expression she realized he had understood, but intentionally dodged the question.

Herscherik flashed Kurenai a smile as he continued talking.

“Don’t worry—it’ll be fine! Besides, today’s outing is also my way of thanking you, Kurenai.”

One week prior, Herscherik had informed Kurenai and Ao that their prospects of escape looked bright—although he left out the part regarding the secret agreement concerning beastmen in Gracis. With nothing to do until the end of the harvest festival, Kurenai and Ao had spent all their time in the castle. They had agreed to bring one of Herscherik’s men of service along whenever they needed to go somewhere other than their own room in the outer quarters and Herscherik’s chambers. Herscherik himself had returned to his usual tasks—his studies, training, and of course the constant battle against the mountain of paperwork on his desk.

“Your Highness, what are you doing?” a confused Kurenai asked when she visited Herscherik’s study to swap a book she’d borrowed for a new one.

Her confusion was only natural, as she was watching a child not yet of school age dealing with a workload that could put most adults to shame. With the book she had come to return in one hand, she looked at Herscherik not with her usual placid expression, but with her downturned eyes slightly widened in surprise. Herscherik gave her a vague smile.

“Oh, Kurenai. Well, it’s, uh...work, I guess?”

“Forgive me, that was an impertinent question. I’m sorry for disturbing you.”

Seeing the usually energetic Herscherik so hesitant, Kurenai gathered that it was something he couldn’t talk about; she quickly returned the book and attempted to leave, but Herscherik gestured at her to wait.

“No, it’s not that I can’t tell you, it’s just that it’s a bit embarrassing,” Herscherik explained, wincing slightly.

He then explained the gist of what had been going on, sighing as he poked at a pile of documents.

“And that’s why I’m going over old paperwork now.”

As other countries had already gotten word of what had been happening in Gracis, there was no need to hide anything.

He reached to grab a document, but with his attention fixed on Kurenai, he accidentally knocked over one of the piles, spilling everything to the floor.

“Oh, now I’ve done it...”

Herscherik hung his head, standing up from the sofa to collect the scattered documents.

“Just when I’d gone through the trouble of sorting them all chronologically... Now it’s all a mess...” he moaned, on the verge of tears.

Kurenai picked up a document that lay by her feet. It was heavily annotated with colored ink. She instinctively ran her eyes over the paperwork before averting her gaze, but after a moment’s hesitation she handed it back to Herscherik.

“I’m sorry for reading this, but... Doesn’t this part seem strange to you?”

“Huh?”

The document Kurenai had handed him had come from the pile of paperwork that Herscherik had already gone over and found no problem with. Herscherik always went over documents three times, a habit he’d carried over from his past life. If time permitted he would go over it once more later on, as taking a break often made it easier to spot mistakes one might otherwise miss.

Kurenai had handed him a document containing a particular lord’s request for funding. The cover page showed an itemized summary of all of these requests.

“It looks like the contents of these two applications overlap.”

Herscherik looked at the parts Kurenai indicated. They were requests for funds to construct a new bridge; however, only a few months later the lord had requested funding for the very same location—and he’d asked for quite a bit more too.

Herscherik had only looked at each request in isolation and concluded that they seemed legitimate, but just as Kurenai had pointed out, it was certainly strange that multiple funding requests for the same project had been approved in such a short span of time. The format of the documents was also not standardized, and the budget listings extended across multiple pages, making it difficult to notice that they concerned the same project.

After heading down to the relevant department to run the problem by them, Herscherik had been informed that the bridge had gone over budget and the second request had been a request for additional funds. The requested amount included the original budget, which is why the total had increased. Herscherik also double-checked with the treasury, confirming that they had not allocated the same funds twice, and breathed a sigh of relief.

We really need to standardize the format...

As each department used its own format, it could be difficult to understand a document even if nothing was wrong with it. That made going through them take much longer than necessary. If they standardized everything, everything would go much faster, and they would be easier to manage in the future. As Ryoko, he had ordered his subordinates to format their documents so even a monkey could understand them. Of course, that was only a figure of speech since monkeys can’t actually read, but if you set out to make your documentation that easy to understand, it made everything that much more efficient.

I guess I should run the idea by Father some other day. What I wouldn’t do for a computer...

“Thank you for the help, Kurenai,” Herscherik finally said, putting his internal grumbling aside. Kurenai had stayed with him for the whole investigation.

Kurenai gave a vague smile in return as she shook her head.

“No, no, I’m sorry for speaking out of line.”

“What are you talking about? You helped me out a lot.” Herscherik rejected Kurenai’s humility out of hand. “Kuro is always busy researching, and Oran and Shiro aren’t very good with this type of work...”

Kuro was the only one among his men who had any skill at this sort of thing. He would always find Herscherik exactly the kinds of documents he was after without his master even having to give him detailed instructions. However, as he also had his duties as a butler of service, Herscherik was often left to sort through the results of Kuro’s research on his own.

It was not as though Oran and Shiro were completely incapable of office work, but they were simply not as skilled as Herscherik and Kuro. They also currently had their hands full with other preparations for the upcoming harvest festival. Thus, Herscherik found himself facing the piles of paperwork all alone in his study.

I could really use more people... But at the same time, I can’t really steal any officials for this... Oh! Herscherik had a sudden realization. There was someone right in front of him who excelled at bureaucracy and currently had nothing to do.

“Kurenai... I’m really sorry to ask this of you, but would you mind helping me with this while you’re here? I’ll even pay you!” Herscherik pleaded.

There was a limit to how much Herscherik could do by himself, and some mistakes were inevitable. While his father and oldest brothers would go over the documents and his reports as well, he wanted his work to be as perfect as possible. Herscherik had always been a perfectionist, even in his previous life.

Kurenai was also on the run, making it unlikely that she would leak information. As long as Herscherik only gave her older or less important documents, security wouldn’t be a problem. Not to mention that she would need money when leaving the country.

After a moment’s hesitation, Kurenai accepted the offer. Ao, who had nothing else to do but to sit in his room, joined them as well. For a while after that, Herscherik’s study was filled with the rustle of paper, the scratch of fountain pens, and occasional chatter.

Kurenai was just as talented as Herscherik had thought, if not more so. She was quick on the uptake, incredibly efficient, and accurate to boot. The mountains of paperwork reduced in elevation quicker than expected, and finally the end was in sight.

That was when Herscherik decided to bring Kurenai for a walk in the bustling town as a token of gratitude for her help—although it also served as a change of pace for Herscherik himself.

“I knew you’d done office work in the past,” Herscherik asked Kurenai as he observed the townspeople preparing for the festival.

Kurenai’s shoulders twitched in response, but as Herscherik was walking in front of her, he did not notice.

“You...knew? What made you think that?” Kurenai asked, her tone slightly suspicious.

“When I first shook your hand, I noticed your writer’s callus.”

Surprised, Kurenai looked down at her hands—at the middle finger of her dominant hand in particular. Just as the prince had said, it sported a prominent hard bump from many years of pen use.

“You’d have to do a lot of writing to get a callus like that. Besides, only someone who’s done a lot of bureaucratic work would notice a mistake like that,” Herscherik continued.

It was a skill that came with experience. Herscherik’s previous lifetime had taught him how to glance over a document and get a sense of whether or not there was an error somewhere in it. It was only a hunch, though, and at times it could be wrong.

Kurenai fell silent upon hearing Herscherik’s answer. The prince continued, sounding a little regretful.

“It’s too bad Ao couldn’t join us...”

Herscherik’s thoughts turned to the tall beastman they had left behind in the castle. Despite how much Ao had helped him, there was no way he could accompany Herscherik outside.

I’ll buy something for him with my allowance, Herscherik promised himself.

The allowance in question was something his oldest two brothers had given to their hardworking youngest brother. It was not much more than a commoner child could expect, but as a prince, most of his expenses were paid for with tax money, so he could afford to use the money as he pleased.

At first he had turned his brothers down, but his brothers had felt guilty for letting Herscherik work so hard without a reward—though more importantly, they had been beside themselves with the urge to dote on their adorable youngest brother a little. After much back and forth, they eventually managed to convince him to accept. Because Herscherik found himself showered with small gifts whenever he went for a walk around town, though, he never had the opportunity to actually spend it. Now, finally, the time had come.

“Your Highness, what do you usually talk about with him?”

When Ao first arrived at the castle, he had always been on his guard, never leaving Kurenai’s side for a moment. With time, though, he found himself bewildered by the kindness of the prince and his men; after watching the prince desperately grappling with his work, most of his wariness had finally disappeared.

Kurenai had then noticed Ao and Herscherik leaving by themselves on a number of occasions. While they were gone, Kuro and Oran would remain with Kurenai as bodyguards—or perhaps simply guards. Whenever Ao returned she would ask him what they had done, but the taciturn Ao would never explain exactly what they discussed—only curtly replying, “We talked.”

“Mostly stuff about beastmen, I guess. He’s told me a lot of interesting and valuable things about them,” Herscherik responded with a satisfied expression.

Herscherik knew Ao must be uncomfortable cooped up in a stuffy castle and wanted to bring him outside. He couldn’t very well take him into town, so instead he had opted to take him to the woodlands that extended to the north of the castle. As only the king and those given the king’s permission were allowed to set foot there, Ao would be able to spread his wings as much as he wished.

That was only Herscherik’s pretext, however. In truth, he simply wanted to get a glimpse of Ao as he flew high above.

Thus, with ulterior motives, he had brought Ao to his favorite hill, with a beautiful view of the town and the castle. But although Ao would remove the coat hiding his wings, whose feathers were the same deep blue color as his hair, all he would do was move them about. He never made any attempt to leave the ground.

“Ao, aren’t you flying? You can fly all you want here.”

In fact, I want to see you fly, Herscherik had thought, looking at Ao with expectant eyes.

Ao only furrowed his brow for a moment, after which he turned his head away as if to escape Herscherik’s glance.

“I hurt my wings. I can’t fly anymore,” Ao muttered in a calm, low voice, stating only the bare facts and nothing more. He spoke monotonously, and it was difficult to detect any emotion in his voice.

Upon hearing this, Herscherik’s face twisted in a despairing frown, and he bent down to apologize.

“I’m so sorry!”

Herscherik had figured that, since Ao was a birdman with wings, flying must have been part of his nature, and furthermore that it must have been suffocating to be prevented from doing so. That was why he had brought Ao here, where he could fly to his heart’s content, but his plan had backfired. Herscherik had only ended up forcing Ao to explain that he couldn’t fly, no matter how much he might want to. Imagining how Ao must have felt, all Herscherik had been able to do was apologize.

At the sight of the prince, Ao became flustered—though it barely registered on his face. A member of the royal family had lowered his head without any hesitation; it would have been impossible not to be surprised.

“Don’t apologize,” Ao forced himself to say after a brief pause, at which Herscherik slowly looked up. They both then turned their gazes and quietly observed the scenery together.

The first person to break the silence was Herscherik.

“Ao, if you don’t mind, could you tell me about beastmen—and about yourself, to whatever extent you can?”

“Why?”

Herscherik looked straight into Ao’s eyes as he replied.

“I want to know.”

Until now he had been entirely preoccupied with his own country. With the evil that infested the country gone, however, the country was proceeding in a positive direction, if still on unsteady legs. Herscherik’s father and brothers were all excellent statesmen, and he didn’t just think that because they were relatives.

Herscherik had then started pondering what he could do now, and if there was anything more he could do for his country or his family. But finally, he had come to the realization that the goal of taking down the minister was what had driven him all this time. He had accomplished his goal, but at the same time he had lost his purpose.

He did have things to do—he wanted to improve the country. But that objective was far too abstract for him to tackle. But then the prince realized that he only knew about a very tiny portion of the world. If there was something he didn’t know, he could always learn it.

“What’s it like outside of Gracis? How big is the world? What kind of people live there? I want to learn about life outside my country too,” Herscherik explained to Ao.

Of course, Herscherik did read books. But books weren’t enough to truly understand the world. He had been reincarnated, given a rare chance at a second life, and he had to use this chance to its fullest. As a naturally curious person, there was so much he wanted to learn. By gaining knowledge, he could understand what path he ought to take, which in turn would lead to protecting his family and the country itself.

“So—please, Ao.”

As Herscherik once again lowered his head, Ao’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, though the rest of his face remained as impassive as ever. An autumn breeze blew past as what felt like an eternity passed in silence.

In the end, Ao capitulated.

“I’m...not very good.”

“Not good?” Herscherik looked up at Ao with a puzzled expression.

“At talking,” Ao clarified.

Ao then started unbuttoning his shirt.

“Huh? What?” Herscherik was flabbergasted as Ao started stripping with no forewarning, opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water.

With no idea how to react, Herscherik awkwardly waved his hands as Ao finished unbuttoning his shirt and opened it to reveal the skin beneath. Due to their height difference, what first caught Herscherik’s eye was Ao’s abs, cleanly chiseled into perfect rows. Had his former identity Ryoko been present, she might have let out a shrill scream at the sight. That was just how impressive his perfectly toned physique was.

Herscherik raised his gaze to find what looked like a fist-sized tattoo on Ao’s chest.

Ao moved his finger along the outline of the marking as he spoke in an even quieter voice.

“I’m a slave... A battle slave.”

Herscherik fell speechless as he processed what Ao had said.

A battle slave was just that—a slave who was sent into battle. Much like soldiers, their job was to fight off the enemy. That was where the similarities ended, though. As slaves, they received no pay and were always sent into the most dangerous situations. If need be, they would be sacrificed without a second thought. A slave too injured to fight would almost always be executed instead of treated. They had no rights and were treated as objects.

Slaves would be engraved with their owner’s mark in the form of a spell imbued with Magic that could effortlessly kill the slave at their owner’s whim—the Brand of Servitude. In this way, it was ensured that a slave could never disobey their master.

“If I ever spoke, I would be beaten... Though I’d get hit even if I kept quiet.”

As time passed, Ao had done his best not to speak and to keep his emotions from showing. His lack of skill at conversation was a reflection of the life he had led so far.

On a closer inspection, he had countless scars—though they had mostly faded—all over his body. There were not only scars from being cut and stabbed, but from being beaten with sticks and whipped as well. It was obvious at a glance what kind of treatment he had suffered until now.

Herscherik suddenly noticed that he’d curled his hand into a tight fist. This was a stark reminder of the difference between the world he had once lived in and his new one. He had a newfound appreciation for how blessed that old world was, and a newfound disgust at the inhumanity of the new one. That kind of thinking, however, only came from having lived his first life in a peaceful country.

Yet when I was listening to Father talk, I was able to put my own emotions aside...

When listening to his father, he had been able to accept that slavery was a fact of life in this world, as much as he hated it. But he was not so good at hiding his feelings that he could keep his calm when faced with someone who had actually had to suffer that treatment.

“She was the only one who wouldn’t hit me,” Ao added quietly, as Herscherik was unable to find any words. His tone made it clear who he was talking about. “I don’t have many happy stories to share. Do you still want to hear?”

Herscherik nodded. It wasn’t just happy stories that he was after.

“Thank you, Ao.”

Ao nodded in return as he put his shirt back on.

After that, Herscherik would make as much time as he could to talk to Ao. Most of their sessions would consist of Herscherik asking questions, while Ao responded with few words.

“Your stories are very interesting, Ao,” Herscherik said as he thought back to what Ao had told him.

What had surprised Herscherik the most was the fact that while Ao looked to be in his twenties, he was actually over sixty years old. Beastmen lived much longer than humans, and while they would mature at the same speed as humans until they became adults, their aging slowed down after that. With each passing day, Herscherik’s lust for knowledge was slowly satisfied as he learned about the differences between humans and beastmen, such as how birdmen flew by unconsciously using wind magic.

“You’re a curious person, Your Highness,” Kurenai said as Herscherik gleefully related how he had spent his time with Ao.

Kurenai had sensed a slight change in Ao. He had always been a man of few expressions, but upon entering this country, he had grown tense. His face might as well have been made of stone. As he had spent more time with Herscherik, though, his expression had softened ever so slightly—albeit without Ao himself being aware of it.

And the fact that this prince does it without even realizing... Although perhaps it was the very fact that he did it unintentionally that made it possible in the first place.

Kurenai had spent her time in the castle observing both Herscherik and the people around him. In particular, it had taken her no more than a few days to see that the three people who served the prince directly were immensely capable. She had heard rumors about the exploits of his knight and Spellcaster during the recent battle between Gracis and Atrad, and she had become convinced that they were true. Meanwhile, his butler not only carried out all his work flawlessly, he also excelled at gathering information. It was not hard to conclude that he must have had contacts in the underground.

With their skill also came strong personalities and egos—yet the prince seemed to have them in the palm of his hand. The prince himself, however, seemed to have no idea what an accomplishment any of this was. He was simply looking up at her in confusion.

“Curious? Well, I am often told that I’m a bit strange...”

Kurenai smiled at Herscherik’s response. This innocent nature of his was exactly what made people want to help him and protect him. As much as his men complained, in the end they accepted everything about him.

I’ve never met someone so curious before.

Suddenly, the neighing of horses could be heard. Kurenai raised her gaze to find a carriage riding past—and broke her stride at the sight of the coat of arms emblazoned upon it. Herscherik stopped walking and looked behind him.

“Is there something about the carriage, Kurenai?”

Kurenai jerked slightly at Herscherik’s question, but Herscherik failed to notice as his attention was focused on the vehicle.

“Is it from some other country, perhaps?” Herscherik pondered, as he had never seen the coat of arms before. “My brothers mentioned that we’re inviting people from other countries to the—Kurenai?”

Herscherik called out to the unresponsive Kurenai, but she was smiling as usual when he turned back to look at her.

“Oh, I’m sorry, the heat had me in a bit of a daze.”

“Are you all right? Should we take a break?” Herscherik threw Kurenai a worried look, but she simply maintained her smile.

“Yes, I’m quite fine. By the way, Your Highness, where are we going next?”

“Um... We’re stopping by the fruit store. I’m a bit worried about the two of them, you see.”

Herscherik found the sudden change of subject strange, but unable to figure out why Kurenai had been so quick to drop the subject, he’d simply decided to answer her question instead.